Saturday, September 12, 2026

It was a beautiful day to be out on the Bay, with clear skies, warm sunshine, and weather comfortable enough for shirtsleeves. Fortunately, the whales seemed to be enjoying it just as much as we were!

Captain Mike took us directly toward Mussel Shoal, where whale activity had been reported the previous day. As we approached the area, a few guests spotted what appeared to be a distant spout. Within minutes, the possibility became a reality when a good-sized humpback whale breached just a few hundred feet off the port side.

The whale soon surfaced even closer. While we drifted quietly with the engines off, it appeared to become curious about us and surfaced only about 60 feet from the boat—an unforgettable encounter and the closest our naturalist had ever been to a humpback.

As everyone focused on our nearby visitor, Captain Mike spotted a second whale spouting on the horizon about a mile away. Still, the first humpback remained the star of the day. It lingered near the surface, stayed close to the vessel, and treated us to several slow, rounded dives that beautifully displayed its signature humped back. There were no elaborate acrobatics, but the whale’s curiosity and frequent appearances more than made up for it. We spent approximately 20 wonderful minutes observing it before it was time to begin our journey back.

The Bay was active with wildlife throughout the trip. We encountered several harbor porpoises inside the Bay, a pod of dolphins swimming alongside the boat beyond the Golden Gate, and pinnipeds occasionally poking their noses above the water. Birdlife was abundant as well, including an extraordinary number of pelicans—more than our naturalist had ever seen together in the Bay—along with gulls, cormorants, and grebes.

Warm sunshine, two humpbacks, playful dolphins, and an incredibly close whale encounter made this a truly memorable day on the water.